Things to Accomplish Before Mia Comes Home…..

International Adoption, Korea Adoption, Mia Grace, South Korea 6 Comments

With this one little picture, I knew…I knew she was the one that I would hold in my arms. She is the one who is in my daughter. The one who has been living in another world away from me, until we could figure out we wanted to adopt. I am already in love her.

I have to prepare for Mia to be home within 7-11 weeks, this is soon!!! I have a ton of stuff to get done.

Things to purchase:

~toddler bed

~car seat

~sippy cups CHECK

~potty chair

~Pororo table and chair

Things to do around this busy house.

~Finish the school year with my 9th grader, 6th grader, 4th grader and kindergartner

~ Get the older three evaluated

~Have Blake tested for 6th grade (should have done that last month) CHECK

~Order 10th grade, 7th grade, 5th grade and 1st grade curriculum(well what I dont have)

~ Clean Front closet

~Weekend in Nashville CHECK

~10 days in Texas CHECK

~4 days in West Virginia

~High School co-op trip to Cedar Point

~Plan High School Sock Hop CHECK

~Reorganize Kitchen cabinets CHECK

~Sort cookbooks..no reason to have about 300!!

~Plan and organize a VBS

~Plant a massive garden

Hold on Mia…Mommy is coming ~!!!!

What every little girl needs…

Korea Adoption, Mia Grace 4 Comments

A place to keep her hair accessories….what else? Camye and I decided to make Mia Grace, a place to keep her hair bows. Everyday we get closer, every step of the way…it becomes more real.

I need get my toddler mom hat back on and start preparing for our new little girl. Mostly we have been preparing by reading loads of adoption books and scouring the internet for information.

But now we need to get moving..a bed, a car seat, toys, clothes and of course, hair bows!!

Thanksgiving Thursday!!

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I am so blessed!! This is so easy for me to write this week!!

I am so thankful for….

~Recieved fingerprinting appointments today for May 3rd. We are going to try to go in early because we will be on vacation until May 4th, we have heard this may not be possible but it is only 40 minutes away and the worse thing they can say is NO and we will come home early.

~Our front porch construction which has begun!

~Our great friends and church family and a fabulous trip to Nashville, next week.

~Warmer weather and beautiful blooming flowers

~All my new adopting friends, its amazing how many could possibly be traveling at the same time we are!!:) ~Jesus Christ our saviour.

~Menu Planning Monday~

Menu Planning 1 Comment

Okay..so I thought I should write a ‘fluffy’ blog. My blogs have been a little deep earlier. My friend Tonya, who is an avid blog reader, has requested my Menu Plan blogs. So I know I will get one reader.:)

Monday-Hamburgers and homemade fries

Tuesday-Leftovers

Wednesday-Grilled chicken salad

Thursday-Taco Salad

Friday-Homemade pizza

Saturday- Veggie Soup

Mold me and Make me

Blake, Camye, Chloe, Family, Kids, Mia Grace, Paul 3 Comments

Arent my kids beautiful?It is so exciting to know that God has hand chosen our children and given them to us adopted or not. We don’t know what to expect. Chloe, our first born is beautiful, easygoing and fun. God blessed us with her as our first cookie cutter gingerbread child. Blake has been my easiest little blessing. He is so gentle and loving but also the rough tough little boy is all there too. God blessed me with this second little cookie cutter gingerbread child.

Camye is my little mother, so joyful, helpful and beautiful. She has been an easy and 3rd little cookie cutter gingerbread child.

Paul is the baby of our family for now. He is just like his dad and Uncle Nathan, always laughing and joking around with everyone. However he is no our typical cookie cutter gingerbread cookie. I believe God gave us cookie dough and asked us to Mold him and Make him. 🙂

I am so excited to see what God has in store for us with our new little girl. I look at her and think she looks like my mom. I look at her smile and see Paul. I look at her hair and see Chloe. I look at her laughter and see Blake. I look at her run and see Kenny. What will little Mia Grace add to our family? I know it will be lots of joy, tears, frustration, laughter, and playing. I just cant wait to meet her.

Mold me and make me after Thy will, While I am waiting, yielded and still. Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!~ I have always loved this song. But I need to ask myself Am I willing to say Mold me, and shape me, and use me, Lord make me …that is my prayer

I am really not a pscho…

International Adoption, Korea Adoption, Mia Grace, South Korea 4 Comments

Today I had to go and run my weekly errands, Aldi, Target, Kohls and Giant Eagle. I really wanted to go to Target to get somethings to put in Mia’s gift bag to send her (blog coming soon). But I knew if I went to Target first I wouldnt want to go to Aldi because it is boring and just groceries……so I decided to I better go to Aldi. As I was getting out of my van at Aldi, I realized I didnt have that quarter so I could get my grocery cart. I thought oh great..should have went to Target. I had a 2 dimes and a nickel. I figured I would just go stand in front of the carts and wait for someone to come by and I would explain my annoying little situation and exchange my money for their cart.

BUT of course, what do you think was sticking out of the shopping cart when I walked up….a quarter..of course there was a quarter there. God wanted me in Aldi for some reason.:) I was so happy to see that little quarter. I joyously went along on my grocery shopping and ran into an old friend and chatted for a few minutes. When out of the corner of my eye, I saw a little Asian girl with her American mommy. I couldnt tear my eyes off of her. She was so beautiful. I told my friend I was dieing to go and talk to the woman. She told me to go for it.

So being the chatty and persistant woman I am…thats what I did. I walked up to her and said, “Excuse me, I have something to ask her and I hope she doesnt take it wrong.” I then proceeded to tell her our story about adopting from Korea. She told her little one was from Korea and how fabulous their experience had been. While I was talking to this woman, her little 3 year old daugher was staring at me, reached for my hand and rubbed the top of it….almost reassuring me everything was going to be fine.

Of course I was staring at her, her profile, her dark hair, her dark eyes, her beautiful skin, her smile…. Anyway, we finished our conversation..of course I was staring at her daughter and maybe that was getting uncomfortable. I know I was feeling that way..so I tore myself away and she starts talking to her daughter and CALLS HER MIA!!!! Being the persistant adoptive mother that I am, I turned around and said Mia..that is what we are naming our little girl???? I then showed her pictures of my Mia. Again..almost moved to tears. I really hope she didnt notice my paper-pregnant tears or emotions coming through.

Thank you Lord, for that chance to meet another Mia. To reassure me, that I am going to see my little Mia soon, very soon.:)

God’s Awesome Plans

Adoption, God's plan 5 Comments

God has been revealing his plan to me in so many ways lately. I find it incredibly awesome each time.

I could seriously write and write on the many ways God has revealed himself to our family lately…but I will simply point out an awesome story.

November 5, 2008, our daughter was born. Kenny and I were not in place to adopt. We were not in a good place at all. God had a plan for us and for Mia.

A NEW friend I just met on an adoption forum, had revealed to me that she had reviewed our little girls file when she was 10 months old. She had 2 reports on our little one from 2 different IAP’s…one was very optimistic and one being very pessimistic. The pessimistic doctor said that they didnt believe she would ever be able to walk. With a saddened heart, they felt they couldnt accept this little girl. This family felt God wanted them to be praying for our little girl and they did. We thank this family for praying for our little Mia until we could get our lives back on God’s plan and get to her.

We recieved her reports and videos. Guess what…oh can she walk..talk..dance..sing..run…jump and play!!! She is full of laughter and charm.

As of December, she was only slightly delayed on a few different skills. Since we have pursued our little Mia, she has completely caught up and is no longer delayed at all.

I believe God has been saving her for our family. He knew she was our daughter and we would eventually get on the track of her adoption.

I am so thankful for my NEW FRIEND for opening up to me and sharing this part of Mia’s story, that God wanted us to know.

We named our precious new daughter, Mia Grace, Mia after hearing the way her first name was pronounced in Korean and Grace because it is by God’s Amazing and Saving Grace that we were able to get our lives right with him and onto the process of finding another great blessing of a child.

But it is great honor knowing, that the first mother to pray for her was also named Grace.

Presenting our daughter, Mia Grace:)

International Adoption, Korea Adoption, Mia Grace 4 Comments

I am so proud to share with you, our precious little girl, Mia Grace. She is adorable, sweet, cute, fun, loves to dance, loves to sing, loves to play the piano. She is 2 years old. She is an answer to our prayers.

Words can not describe how I feel when I look at this babies face…oh wait yes they can. Do you remember that feeling you got when you looked at your newborn? That is the undescribeable feeling. I knew it the moment I laid eyes on her. I said, “Thats her..that’s our daughter.” Kenny took one look and said, “That’s her.”

She is so sweet and loving videos. We have 6 videos..We watch them over and over.

She is a sweet little ‘Seoul’.